Royal Military College of Canada chapels
Encyclopedia
The Royal Military College of Canada
in Kingston, Ontario
Canada
includes two chapels in Yeo Hall. The chapels are classic examples of gothic revival architecture
. Yeo Hall Building 32, which was built in 1935, was recognized as a Federal Heritage Building in 1990 . The building is on the Registry of Historic Places of Canada.
The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Catholic and Protestant communities normally meet in the St-Raphael Roman Catholic chapel and Saint Martin Protestant chapel services from 1030-1130. In addition both chapels have a weekly ecumenical prayer time (Taize style) each Wednesday at noon. The Muslim community normally meets for prayers in the sacred space throughout the week from 1230 hrs to 1530 hrs. The Muslim community holds their Friday prayer (Jumu’a) in the sacred space at 12h00.
The St-Raphael chapel is a place of Catholic denomination worship for Officer cadets, personnel as well as their families. The Saint Martin chapel is a place of Protestant denomination worship for Officer cadets, personnel as well as their families. A sacred space for Moslem and other non-Christian religious traditions was created within the St-Raphael Chapel located on the third floor of the North Annex of Yeo Hall.
Joanne Benham Rennick writes in in `Religion in the Canadian Military: Adapting to an Increasingly Pluralistic Society,` `Public rituals, such as Remembrance Day services, are to be as inclusive as possible and, in recent events, such as the ceremony of the Consecration of the Colours at the Royal Military College in Kingston, the Chaplain General invited members of the Buddhist, Hindu, First Nations, Jewish, and Muslim communities to participate as guests (DND, 2001a, 2007b; Gorniak, 2001)`. She goes on to explain `At the Royal Military College in Kingston, chaplains have responded to growing numbers of Muslim personnel by installing a curtain in the Christian chapel to create a Muslim prayer room. Further, the base chaplain arranged for the installation of footbaths in the washrooms to facilitate ablutions.` (Benham Rennick, 2006).
) is used as a baptism font in the college chapel and the names of those baptised are later inscribed on the bell.
, the goal is to expose the cadets to the typical processes and procedures of religious ceremony
, should they need to carry out Assisting Officer duties in the future. The name comes from the custom of cadets gathering their pennies for collection into the offering plate. Officer cadets who choose not to attend church service on the last Sunday of the academic year have the option to attend a Copper Sunday Symposium organized by the RMC Chaplains explaining the rites and processes that take place in Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu places of worship, and what could be expected in a funereal setting in each.
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
includes two chapels in Yeo Hall. The chapels are classic examples of gothic revival architecture
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
. Yeo Hall Building 32, which was built in 1935, was recognized as a Federal Heritage Building in 1990 . The building is on the Registry of Historic Places of Canada.
The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Catholic and Protestant communities normally meet in the St-Raphael Roman Catholic chapel and Saint Martin Protestant chapel services from 1030-1130. In addition both chapels have a weekly ecumenical prayer time (Taize style) each Wednesday at noon. The Muslim community normally meets for prayers in the sacred space throughout the week from 1230 hrs to 1530 hrs. The Muslim community holds their Friday prayer (Jumu’a) in the sacred space at 12h00.
The St-Raphael chapel is a place of Catholic denomination worship for Officer cadets, personnel as well as their families. The Saint Martin chapel is a place of Protestant denomination worship for Officer cadets, personnel as well as their families. A sacred space for Moslem and other non-Christian religious traditions was created within the St-Raphael Chapel located on the third floor of the North Annex of Yeo Hall.
Programming
The chaplains teamed with the college to do whatever was necessary to accommodate Muslim students and make their stay at RMC more pleasant. For example, during the month of Ramadan, the college provides Muslim students with food they can consume after sunset.Joanne Benham Rennick writes in in `Religion in the Canadian Military: Adapting to an Increasingly Pluralistic Society,` `Public rituals, such as Remembrance Day services, are to be as inclusive as possible and, in recent events, such as the ceremony of the Consecration of the Colours at the Royal Military College in Kingston, the Chaplain General invited members of the Buddhist, Hindu, First Nations, Jewish, and Muslim communities to participate as guests (DND, 2001a, 2007b; Gorniak, 2001)`. She goes on to explain `At the Royal Military College in Kingston, chaplains have responded to growing numbers of Muslim personnel by installing a curtain in the Christian chapel to create a Muslim prayer room. Further, the base chaplain arranged for the installation of footbaths in the washrooms to facilitate ablutions.` (Benham Rennick, 2006).
Stained Glass
Robert McCausland Limited: Artists and Craftsmen of Stained Glass since 1856 created a number of stained glass windows in the chapels of the Royal Military College of Canada.| Location | Date | Description | Manufacturer | Inscription |
| Roman Catholic Chapel | 1963 | 1 light Emblem the Lamb | Robert McCausland Limited |
|
| Roman Catholic Chapel | 1963 | 1 light Emblem lilies and M | Robert McCausland Limited |
|
| Roman Catholic Chapel | 1963 | 1 light Crest | Robert McCausland Limited |
|
| Roman Catholic Chapel | 1963 | 1 light Alpha Omega Bible and Torch |
|
|
| Roman Catholic Chapel | 1 light Dove |
|
||
| Roman Catholic Chapel | 1 light Chalice and wheat |
|
||
| Protestant Chapel | 1963 | 1 light Royal Military College Crest | Robert McCausland Limited |
|
| Protestant Chapel | 1963 | 1 light Timothy | Robert McCausland Limited |
|
| Protestant Chapel | 1963 | 1 light Dove | Robert McCausland Limited |
|
| Protestant Chapel | 1963 | 1 light open book | Robert McCausland Limited |
|
| Protestant Chapel | 1963 | 1 light lamb of God | Robert McCausland Limited |
|
| Protestant Chapel | 1963 | 1 light chalice | Robert McCausland Limited |
|
Baptisms
Following naval tradition, a ship's bell (from the Royal Roads Military CollegeRoyal Roads Military College
Royal Roads Military College was a Canadian military college located in Hatley Park, Colwood, British Columbia near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The facility is currently being used as the campus for Royal Roads University, a public university that offers applied and professional academic...
) is used as a baptism font in the college chapel and the names of those baptised are later inscribed on the bell.
Library
The Chapels` library in Yeo Hall contains books on a variety of subjects in Arabic, English and French, intended to be used by people of all faiths. As future officers in the Canadian Forces, RMC students must be well educated about different religions, given that most peacekeeping operations are overseas.Copper Sunday
In a tradition known as Copper Sunday dating to 1882, Officer cadets attend various Kingston churches on the last Sunday of the academic year. While RMC does not to influence cadets toward any particular religionReligion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, the goal is to expose the cadets to the typical processes and procedures of religious ceremony
Ceremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...
, should they need to carry out Assisting Officer duties in the future. The name comes from the custom of cadets gathering their pennies for collection into the offering plate. Officer cadets who choose not to attend church service on the last Sunday of the academic year have the option to attend a Copper Sunday Symposium organized by the RMC Chaplains explaining the rites and processes that take place in Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu places of worship, and what could be expected in a funereal setting in each.
Kingston Churches
For many years Royal Military College cadets and other military groups have marched into local churches such as St. George's Cathedral (Kingston, Ontario) for worship on special occasions. A virtual tour the Royal Military College gallery at the Cathedral Church of St. George features stained glass windows of soldier saints including St. George. The most recent windows -- the St. Cecilia window and the St. Margaret window -- also in the RMC gallery, were installed in 2002 and 2003 respectively.External links
- For both Royal Military College of Canada chapels, go to RMC Chapels Royal Military College of Canada official website. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- Stained glass in the Royal Military College of Canada chapels